Product Description

While researching the 2012 end-date of the Maya Calendar, John Major Jenkins decoded the Maya's galactic cosmology. The Maya discovered that the periodic alignment of the Sun with the center of the Milky Way galaxy is the formative influence on human evolution. These alignments also define a series of World Ages. The fourth age ends on December 21, 2012, when an epoch chapter in human history will come to an end. Maya Cosmogenisis 2012 reveals the Maya's insight into the cyclic nature of time, and prepares us for oue own cosmogenesis--the birth of a new world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35476 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08-01
• Released on: 1998-08-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

From Library Journal
These two works press beyond the boundaries of conventional scholarship to explore the alternative world view offered by Maya culture. Brennan, an artist and longtime student of prehistoric rock inspirations throughout North America and Mexico, examines the hand signs shown in Maya glyphs and art work in search of an interpretation of the Maya system of writing, which has long interested interested and puzzled scholars He contends that the Maya used a sophisticated gesture language similar to that of the Plains Indian groups of North America. Many useful illustrations and compelling examples support Brennan's theory. While the conclusions drawn are equal parts scholarship and hypothesis, this thorough and detailed study of the relationships among writing, art, symbolism, and meaning fascinates. The Maya Long Count calendar, a complex system for measuring time, was developed around 2000 years ago, possibly at the pre-Maya site of Izapa in southern Mexico. Jenkins, an independent researcher, presents a wealth of information about Maya astronomy, mythology, and caledrics in support of his analysis of the Long Count calendar end-date, scheduled to occur on December 21, 2012. Providing evidence that the end-date corresponds with a rare alignment of our solar system, Jenkins contends that the Maya were aware of this celestial event and believed that it portended a dramatic rebirth for humanity. Good illustrations, maps, and an extensive bibliography complement this detailed work. Ultimately, however, Jenkins' well-researched and interesting interpretation remains speculative. [For more on Maya culture, see Linda Schele and Jorge Perez de Lara's Hidden Faces of the Maya, reviewed on p. 87.?Ed.]?Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westeville, P.L.
-?Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westeville, P.L.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Independent Publisher
Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 belongs to the growing corpus of end-of-millennium books. Jenkins explores why the Maya calendar ends on 13.0.0.0.0 (December 21, 2012), and notes that this enddate marks a rare alignment of our solar system with the Galactic Center. This date marks the end of the "long count" of the Maya calendar, which will then revert back to zero, as Mayan time is cyclical rather than linear. The author then switches to an Aztec myth, writing that this enddate will open the way for celestial demons to pour out of the sky to devour mankind. While he feels this myth can be interpreted either metaphorically or literally, in either case a new world age will begin. One manifestation of this new world age will be that "our basic assumptions and foundational values will be exposed, and we will have the opportunity to embrace values long since driven under the surface of our collective consciousness." Interesting as an end-of-millennium narrative, the text follows a formulaic pattern: the author, a North American male leaves the US to travel on a personal quest to "remote" and "dangerous" spots; listens "carefully to the wind whisper messages of a far off time"; understands the ways of exotic Others because he is "unfettered by the limitations of scholardom." Difficult to follow, backed by dubious scholarship, it is easy to dismiss Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. The author takes information from Hawaiian, Hopi, and contemporary Siberian ethnography to explain Mayan culture 2,000 years past. Too much jargon and a confusing outline make this work a frustrating read. However, the appendices are more coherent and accessible.

Review
"The extensive research by John Major Jenkins into the Mayan astronomy and mysteries is very impressive indeed, and his book will no doubt become a classic in this field of study. Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 is a must-read for all those who feel that there is far more to our ancient past than meets the eye."
(Robert G. Bauval, coauthor of The Orion Mystery )

"Jenkins presents a wealth of information about the Maya astronomy, mythology, and calendrics in support of his analysis of the Long Count Calendar end-date . . . illustrations, maps, and extensive bibliography complement this detailed work."
(Library Journal )

Customer Reviews

A very thorough book
This book is very thorough. To me it was a little too archaeological but it was good. And it has an excellent forword by Terence McKenna.

The 'Zero Time' Is Upon Us
Overall this book is pretty solid I think as far as the research.

The main point is that we are very close to the end of what people call "The Platonic Year". This is a 25,800 year period of time during which our solar system travels through the 12 signs of the zodiac.

On 12/21/12 a strange astronomical alignment will occur where our solar system will get lined up with the super massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The "black sun". I think I read somewhere else that an energy beam is emanating from the black sun and this beam will strike the earth on that date.

The author doesn't really say exactly what's supposed to happen on that date. Perhaps the change that occurs will be within all of us I don't know.

Another re-occuring point is the Mayan shamans' use of mind altering substances such as certain mushrooms. To avoid the upset stomach that these concoctions could cause they would sometimes inject the mixture directly into their intestines.

In appendix 6 he critiques some other books on this subject and compares them to his own research. He disagrees with others that the ancient Egyptians were more advanced that the Mayans. My own take is both cultures have a common source (Atlantis). The pyramid of Kukulcan compares very well to the other pyramids around the world. However the pyramids at Giza, especially when they were in their original condition, stand alone.

Nobody really knows how these pyramids were built by the way, much as traditional Egyptologists like to make us think they know.

He is correct that people in our modern world today may in some cases tend to underestimate the knowledge that these ancient cultures possessed.

Many people today have a feeling that something strange is going to happen soon. I do anyway. Perhaps a lot of people like to read those 'left behind' books because that's a Christian response to this feeling.

There are some truly tragic desecrations and destructions of culture and knowledge that stand out in human history. Here's my short list:

1) the Muslims destroying the surfaces of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt so they could use the limestone for their palaces for Mohammed

2) the burning of the library at Alexandria by the Christians

3) the Spanish burning all of the Mayan's ancient codex booklets and melting down all of the Aztec's priceless gold artifacts

So we see that no single religion or country had any monopoly on destroying knowledge and history.

Jeff Marzano

The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls: Unlocking the Secrets of the Past, Present, and Future

The Giza Power Plant : Technologies of Ancient Egypt

The Giza Death Star

Edgar Cayce's Egypt: Psychic Revelations on the Most Fascinating Civilization Ever Known

Edgar Cayce's Atlantis and Lemuria: The Lost Civilizations in the Light of Modern Discoveries

Lemuria & Atlantis: Studying the Past to Survive the Future

The Hunt for Zero Point: Inside the Classified World of Antigravity Technology

Fascinating book
Cosmogenesis 2012 is a compelling book about the meaning of the Mayan and Mesoamerican calendric images. It reveals evidence as to why the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012 along with explanations as to what this could entail for humanity. I recommend it for anyone interested in the end date of 2012.